Vaping faces no consequences

CSU policy that makes campuses smoke and tobacco-free includes e-cigarettes, but at CPP, the policy is not enforced.

Last year, a CSU-wide policy made campuses smoke and tobacco-free.

This policy includes vaping, the act of smoking e-cigarettes. However, that has not halted the rise of vaping on campus, where students manage to vape without facing punishment or consequences.

Vaping on campus is forbidden, but students are allowed to vape in plain view, like this student who is using a Suorin Vape. (Elizabeth Aquino | The Poly Post)

Although intended to be a safer alternative to cigarettes, vaping still raises health concerns because the vapor is not as harmless as it seems.

Electronic cigarettes, or vapes, are battery-operated devices that produce aerosol to form vapor.

They can resemble everyday items, such as pens and USB flash drives, making them easy to use and conceal.

The liquid used to create e-cigarette vapor contains propylene glycol, which is the chemical used to create artificial smoke in fog machines.

The Food and Drug Administration called the vape trend by underage users an epidemic because vape companies are inducing younger generations to be addicted to nicotine through the promotion of flavored vaping liquids. FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced in a press statement that the FDA would investigate the marketing tactics of flavored vape companies, such as JUUL Labs Inc., and enforce stricter policies to ensure minors cannot obtain these products, nor be targeted by such companies.

Lieutenant Aaron Eaton of the University Police said a strict vaping law is not enforced at Cal Poly Pomona.

“We don’t necessarily have a law in force,” Lt. Eaton said. “It is for those individuals to be aware of the policy and hopefully they’ll abide by it.”

Although vaping and cigarette smoking doesn’t lead to disciplinary action, students caught smoking, possessing or arriving on campus under the influence of marijuana will undergo a strict disciplinary process.

“The university does not enforce the smoke or vape-free policy, so my office does not see anyone who is sanctioned for using nicotine products on campus,” Andrea Lueskow, a health educator at Student Health & Wellness Services said. “There is only conduct sanctioned if you use THC products, not nicotine.”

Despite vaping on campus not being enforced, it is still important for users to be aware of the dangers of nicotine addiction and the effects of being exposed to the vapor.